A Look at the Myford Super 7B Metal Turning Lathe

A tour of the parts and accessories for the favourite model engineer’s lathe.

[@HMS1Blake]

Nice machine, lovely video tour. Thanks!

[@davidkerr4023]

Your very helpful for a beginner like myself showing the machines points. Thank you for a glimpse of your work shop,cheers

[@PiefacePete46]

Fond memories! My father bought a Super 7 in (I believe) 1946, from ALS Cassie Ltd. in Dunedin NZ. He understood it to be the first Super 7 in New Zealand. It has a 31" bed, but no gearbox or powered cross-slide. Another detail difference is an oil reservoir cast into the headstock above the front bearing, with a needle valve to control the "drip rate". There is also a Rodney vertical milling attachment, which I always felt was limited, and time consuming to mount. I still own this lathe, which has been in storage since we moved town, waiting for me to collect it. That involves a ten hour drive, in a suitable vehicle that I don't have! You might have given me the push I needed. Excellent video thanks... Liked & subbed with a ding-a-ling.

[@gmcevoy]

Very fine piece of equipment, right there. I have searched broad and wide, to source such a nice used Myford, but have not found one as good as yours so far. I have settled with a very poor quality Chinese lathe for now, until I find the right Myford. Thanks for showing us around this magnificent tool!

[@jackdawes8264]

Thank you for the tour. It brings back memories of when I worked for Myfords. I think I must have had a hand in making your lathe, at least in small part. I was an QC inspector in one of the auto shops and will have in all probability inspected some part of your machine. Nice to see them still in use.

[@MetalMachineShop]

That's a great comment! This particular lathe is still in more or less daily use and hardly worn so that says a lot for Myford quality and your QA skills - thank you!

[@millomweb]

I suspect there are few that aren't in use. Passed on 2nd hand, 3rd hand 4th hand etc. One of the last jobs our 7 did was clean up the leadscrew for its replacement - a Colchester Student.

[@brendanukveteran2360]

Did you inspect the paint finish on mine??!! Lol

[@Daledavispratt]

I love the T-slotted cross slides on Myford lathes...such a useful feature not found on many lathes in that size range.

[@peterm3533]

An excellent and very thorough review. I have an ML7 and was very interested in the extra features of the Super 7. What a brilliant machine, a great evolution from the ML7.

[@scottpecora371]

Beautiful Machine

[@donotwantahandle1111]

I used a Myford ML7 to turn some 5" gauge loco wheels and it was very well made.

[@ronitsingh85]

thanks for the work through and demo, this was fun to watch and very informative. I have in my passion here in US a 4ft south bend model A with quick change gearbox. Its not Myford but a good lathe. English made machines are always admired for their quality and beauty.

[@pierluigiugolotti]

The tailstock remind me that old 50's sci-fi movies.Wonderful machine.

[@gwheyduke]

Nice lathe. Lots of great model engines made with the Myford.

[@davidlackie8091]

Hi Thanks for the tour nice to see someone with exactly the same model as i have. I am in the process of refurbishing mine. I enjoy your articles in MEW.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thank you for your kind comments David!

[@paulgreenlee190]

Just Subscribed to your Channel, interesting lathe compared to my South Bend 13"x72" Lathe. The Myford has a lot of features, very well made from watching you explain the workings of it. Nice job, I enjoyed your video and hope to see more. I'm not a machinist but hobby around with mine. I was a certified welder and fabricator for 40 years with some machine shop practices. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your great looking Super 7B.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, thanks for you comments, I should do a video showing the Myford being put through its paces!

[@russellsprout2223]

Excellent guide to the Super 7. Puts my bog-standard ML7 to shame. Subscribed and looking forward to your shop tour... : )

[@MetalMachineShop]

Russell Sprout - Thanks! I’ll see what I can do!

[@RDGTOOLSLTD]

Hi we are RDG TOOLS a Model Engineering tool company based in Mytholmroyd West Yorkshire. We sell new and used tools. We also own the Myford Lathes Brand. We took over Myford around 12 years ago. Both company's are in the same building and we are open to the public. We are still building new Myford lathes and refurbished Myford lathes.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hello to one of my favourite model engineering suppliers!

[@RDGTOOLSLTD]

@@MetalMachineShop Keep up the good work.

[@howtorepairpendulumclocks]

Nice presentation. Thank you

[@mrwest5552]

Cheers ! Sweet bench lathe. 👍

[@jamesdepaul3410]

Very nice machine - looks very capable

[@brendanukveteran2360]

The easiest way to tell the age of a Super 7 is just by looking at the paint - mine was made between 1952 - 53 [SK1289] and the paint is cracked and falling off everywhere exposing the cream primer... I am lucky, some units had the finish coat sprayed directly on the unprimed castings. An excellent bit of kit and a bit like the Jimny 4x4: punches well above it's weight. Nice vid - thanks.

[@markuk7935]

Very well done. Thank you.

[@keithsolloway9544]

Hi, I had a super seven B only it was the green model with all the Bell's and whistle's until I saw a Chinese lathe that was slightly larger four and a half inch center height with tapered roller bearing's and inverted V bed, with P.W.M. speed control, no belt changing just turn a control knob, Brilliant, chuck held on by three bolts so no trouble running in reverse. On my Myford when running at high speed the bronze bearing's would get very hot always worried it was going to seize up. So I sold my Myford and bought the Chinese model landed up with a new lathe and a lot of money left over it was the best decision I could have made and that was twenty year's ago and it's done a lot of work since then and still going strong. Mind you have to be careful when buying Chinese lathe's as there is a lot of crap on the market but the one I bought is excellent. Just to point out that I know what I'm talking about I'm nearly 80years old and been a Engineer since I started my apprenticeship back in 1956. P.S since buying it I have fitted a car air condition electric clutch so I don't have to turn the motor on and off.

[@gangleweed]

Well bless my soul.....we must be spiritually related in some way as I'm an 81 year old ex Brit, and I served my apprenticeship as a fitter and turner in 1956 too. But.......it gets weirder.....I have a belt drive Colchester Bantam of 1930 vintage and I fitted that with a car air conditioner electric clutch too.........now I'm aiming to get the T35 quick change toolpost as advertised on EBAY from India. Edit.......I fitted an AXA QCTP not the T35 from India.

[@Man-in-da-shed]

A nice tour. Looking forward to more. So rung ur bell

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks, more to follow in due course!

[@user-co4rs7ob1t]

Дизайн станка впечатляет!!! Все линии закругленные,плавные...прямо ,,феррари,, а не станок! В России станки угловатые,будто топором вырубленные...С меня - лайк.

[@EvoKeremidarov]

very nice lathe.. great setup..

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks!

[@alien4x487]

Excellent, thank you!

[@scottpecora371]

Beautiful machine

[@alantorrance6153]

I recall using an earlier version of this (may have been a different make, even) when I was in an Intermediate School here in Mt Roskill, Auckland, New Zealand way back in mid-late 1950's. Having progressed in an "Academic" educational channel, I no longer had access to any of these mechanical delights. Mind you, If I had a larger home workshop now, I would love to have one of these -- or similar, but also able to change to "metric" units. Would be very useful for a myriad of projects.

[@millomweb]

Suspiciously likely to have been the ML7 rather than Super7. 6 speed instead of 12 and no quick change gearbox for screwcutting.

[@jossfitzsimons]

I guess Myford also sold a travelling steady. You show a half center for the tailstock, but dont mention they are very useful. If I could only have one I'd choose it. Overall a very helpful intro which I have already passed on.

[@AdeSwash]

Nice machine, thanks for the tour

[@millomweb]

0:50 - interesting that you have the main switch in the 'wrong' off position. Normally the knob sticks forwards towards you - so that in use, the knob follows the profile cylindrical shape of the switch.

[@jessestrum]

people like you are a credit to you tube thanks for the post

[@amdcustom1]

jessestrum Thank you!

[@gmcevoy]

Hello there! It's me again. Quick question: is the power cross-feed standard, on the 7B? I am currently defining requirements with a company which specialises in the refurbishment of Myford lathes, and thought I might just double-check. :-) Many thanks in advance!

[@ShivJG13]

I'm looking at getting a lathe next year, and have been looking into the ML7 and Super 7s on the recommendation of Allen Millyard. I'll be using it to make and modify motorcycle parts, mainly axles, spindles and stems, and making spacers and collars. Eventually I may want to make other parts like wheel hubs, and other parts that are now unavailable. I've never used a lather in my life, but I'm going to learn. I was initially looking at the Clarke 400/430 lathes, but have been warned off Chinese lathes elsewhere, although there are as many people saying they're good enough, you just need to shop around and make sure you get a good one. Now reading some of the comments on here about the Myfords being overpriced and being "lightweight", just wondered what peoples thoughts are on the ML7 etc for my needs and if they'd be up to the job. I've been reading up on different British lathes worth looking at, Boxfords, Colchester, Harrison etc. My budget is going to be relatively low as I need to buy welding equipment too next year, and later on or in 2021 buy a milling machine, so looking at hopefully spending around £1000-1500 on a lathe, but will stretch that budget a bit if needs be.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Siobhan Garvey Hi, I think you are right that the Myfords may be a little small for some of your intended projects. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the newer lathes of eastern manufacture and some are great value for money, especially second hand. A used Harrison M300 or similar would be a great choice too. Just my opinion! Good luck with your projects.

[@ShivJG13]

@@MetalMachineShop I'm currently watching a Harrison M300 on ebay, just to get an idea of what they sell for. I can't afford it yet, and the welder will be getting bought first. In what sense in your opinion makes the Myford lathes a bit small for me? I think Allen Millyard has an ML7 (need to check) and he seems to do okay with it. That said, he's an engineering genius and could probably make a working lathe out of Meccano! I'd rather have something a bit bigger than my needs mind, just so that I'm not stretching the limits of the machine. What they call "headroom" in audio engineering. Some of the Colchester and Harrison lathes look like they'd be better suited. The Boxfords look similar in size to the ML7s, so not sure if they'd be any better. That said, I may be over estimating what I'll need, and could possibly make do with an ML7 or similar. It's interesting, if a bit of a mindfield when thinking of buying something you've never had prior experience on.

[@engel2010je]

Very nice

[@steved8038]

As you obviously know the myford inside out I have a question . is there a way of locking the chuck to the spindle so it can safely be used in reverse ? Thank you for a great insight into these machines .

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, no you can't lock the chuck to the spindle. Any machining with the spindle in reverse relies on screwing the chuck on tightly. Heavy cuts and high spindle speeds would be dangerous and out of the question, but for occasional light work you can get away with it if you are careful. Probably not to be officially recommended though!

[@amateurdesubaru]

I built a draw bar that expands its taper into the chuck s bore and goes trough the other end of the spindle where I do tighten it . However I cannot use the chuck s bore past the jaws anymore when in use , cannot use live center from the spindle s taper too. for the face&cacth plates I turned inverted cones that thread into the draw bar

[@friendlypiranha774]

Really nice lathe tour. Thanks. How often does one lubricate it and with what? Thanks

[@MetalMachineShop]

I use 'lathe oil' bought from an model engineering show. Not sure exactly what it is. I oil the main bearings every day more or less and the other surfaces whenever they are starting to look a bit dry, say weekly.

[@adrianhowell9762]

Hello. Thanks for the lathe tour. Very informative. Would these Myford type lathes be suitable for a novice to learn on ? I am a joiner , wanting to learn how to use an engineering lathe , just for engineering work only , not wood turning. Thanks. Adrian

[@MetalMachineShop]

Yes it would be fine to learn on. These lathes were made with amateurs in mind. I would recommend a book like The Amateur's Lathe to get an understanding of the basics then go for it!

[@vs-yt5tc]

Very informativ, thank you

[@MachineDRO]

Your Myford looks great :) ever considered a retro fit DRO system?

[@MetalMachineShop]

I've already got one of your excellent M-DRO systems fitted to my X3 mill so I might get round to upgrading the lathe at some point too!

[@rctoliveira6595]

Esa máquina está hecha para nunca acabarse al igual que todas las de su tiempo

[@ValMartinIreland]

How is the chuck attached? Is it simply screwed on and if so how do you hold the spindle to take it off.

[@MetalMachineShop]

It screws on and you can lock the spindle by engaging the back gear.

[@ValMartinIreland]

@@MetalMachineShop That broke the teeth on the bull wheel so I did this kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpOtaHaDodVsedk

[@millomweb]

Unless I'm mistaken, you appear to have a saddle stop arrangement on it. How does that disengage the leadscrew ?

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, yes there is a saddle stop but there is no mechanism for disengaging the lead screw nut. I would only use the stop when manually traversing the saddle.

[@millomweb]

@@MetalMachineShop I hadn't thought of that ! Cheers.

[@millomweb]

@@MetalMachineShop Saddle stop on mine trips the power feed but does not work on the leadscrew halfnut :( It has power feed to cross slide but no trip mech. I plan to look into making a trip for the cross slide. My mill has trips on all power feeds.

[@rickybulao5112]

Mesin bubut klasik , masih komplit alat nya juga 😍

[@Pushyhog]

whats ye take fir it???

[@edilsonmartins6653]

Parece ser um torno muito bom.

[@roadshowautosports]

Would you be willing to share a price range for a machine with the accessories you’ve got? Just a good ball park. Thank you!

[@MetalMachineShop]

I guess in the region of £3 to 4k.

[@tomthompson7400]

Cog ,,, oh dear , you get cogs in a mangle those are gears or so my old machine shop instructor used to tell me. great video though.

[@bkailua1224]

Very much like my South Bend heavy 10 from the 1940's , but the t slot cross slide on the Myford is a much better feature.

[@haroldpearson6025]

The problem with Myfords is whilst they are a guality machine they are a lightweight machine and very overpriced. Though no longer made in UK used ones cost up to £6,000. A good conditioned Boxford can be had for less than half that price whilst Colchester Bantams and Chipmaster lathes are available for less than £3,000. Many come from schoos or university workshops having had little use and are easily converted to single phase where required.

[@jimmiller5891]

You are right about the lightweight (I own two ML7 + S7). But there is no such thing as over priced. If the customers are consistently willing to pay a price then that is the right price and there must be something that makes it worth that price for them.

[@andrewwilson8317]

What do you mean by lightweight? I am assuming you are referring to its ability to do " heavy" work? I have a seven in my workshop along with some much bigger machines, and one monster!, and find it anything but a lightweight in these terms. Combined with a Newall DRO and a VFD the Myford is capable of producing parts to a very high standard and accuracy. If you find yourself regularly turning parts that exceed its capabilities then by all means buy a bigger lathe but don't get caught up in the bigger is better arms race. A two foot long five inch dia lump of metal is a big lump, and the Myford can handle this with ease. The DSG could turn two foot dia ,eight feet long but never had anything like that in it!. The Myford stands me just over 2k £ as it stands and worth every penny.

[@haroldpearson6025]

@@jimmiller5891 So why has Myford gone out of business? In part due to far eastern competition but also because the company thought they could continue to charge OTT prices.

[@jimmiller5891]

@@haroldpearson6025 Yeah, this is light hearted commentary here so not too serious. Without the competition form east the OTT prices would have been the norm. They only seem OTT because we can get so much cheap stuff from east. I'm pretty sure that Myford did not make a big profit with their products. Probably hardly made the ends meet. So in that sense their prices were reasonable. With the competition from east they should have had some strategy how to survive and stay competitive. It would probably have involved total overhaul of how they manufacture the lathes. Possibly shift the whole manufacturing operation east and sort of become just a brand owner that ensure that the quality is there. Contrary to what many people think you can get any quality (good and bad) from east. For good quality you need to insist on it, work with them and be ready to pay for it. Crap you can get for nothing. Easy to say with 20:20 hind sight and not sitting on the fire with my trousers. ;)

[@jimmiller5891]

@@andrewwilson8317 I mean not being able to take the kind of deeper cuts that we can with a TOS 40 B/1500 for example which we happen to have 'at work'.

[@keithammleter3824]

We had Myford 7's or Super 7's to learn on at the high school I attended. Cheap junk, but had all the features valuable for teaching. Later, at work, I had access to a Sheraton lathe with slightly bigger swing and about the same distance between centres. It was vastly superior, being at least twice as massive and having the accuracy of V-ways. I've never understood why there was and is so much focus on the Myford in English model engineering circles. I bought an Asian lathe a few years ago. Cheap but not junk. It too is much better designed, has V-ways and is as massive as the old Sheraton. Chucks retained by screw thread were once common, but these days is considered dangerous. You can't have an emergency brake, as if you did, the chuck would unscrew.

[@MetalMachineShop]

I think the attraction of the Myford is it's versatility and usability. It is not very rigid though, so for rapid metal removal, you need something chunkier and more powerful.

[@keithammleter3824]

@@MetalMachineShop : It's no more versatile than most other lathes. The lack of rigidity makes usability much lower. The lack of V-ways means that accuracy cannot be maintained in a factory environment - that means lower usability too. Myfords were once exported all around the British Commonwealth, but the start of Taiwanese lathe production killed them except in Britain. There is a reason why the Asian lathes killed Myford off - they were very much better. Its the same as with British cars - once exported in large numbers, but superior Japanese quality and fitness for purpose killed the export markets. Same as with British electronics - every country used wartime factory lessons to make better products, but the Brits just kept on turning out the same old junk. I can only assume that as with British cars and British electronics, Myford continued to attract private customers in Britain - it's the "but it's British" factor - emotional thinking not logical thinking.

[@MetalMachineShop]

@@keithammleter3824 I don’t disagree! You can certainly get more machine for your money with some other decent 2nd hand lathes.

[@machiningbasics1729]

Nice video ! Do you write in mew ? Recognise your lathe. My myford doesn’t have gearbox but I’m searching for one.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Machining Basics Thanks! Yes, I do write the occasional article for MEW and the lathe has made it into some of the issues!

[@ausielad1]

Is that gearbox supposed t be filled with oil?

[@MetalMachineShop]

It should have some oil yes but not filled to the brim.

[@danielberei3021]

Are you using your phone as a camera monitor?

[@MetalMachineShop]

Daniel Berei yes! I guess I should have moved it out of shot, not very pro!

[@danielberei3021]

@@MetalMachineShop Can you tell us how you do that? Please...

[@MetalMachineShop]

Daniel Berei I was using a GoPro to film. It has the ability to connect to a phone/tablet via WiFi so you can control the GoPro via the phone.

[@jdudb]

Not withstanding how popular these machines were amongst the model engineering community, they are lightweight machines and require a gentle approach when machining with them. My habit of leaning on my Boxford tailstock to watch what I am doing is not acceptable with a Myford. A professional engineer demonstrated how leaning on the tailstock of his Myford measurably twists the bed causing a significant difference near the chuck. Also, this type of lathe bed is not tolerant of any wear. A change of direction of feed will result in a different depth of radial cut if there is any wear, where a vee bed like the Boxford, there would be no change.

[@johnsmith-zs9jq]

You just discribed every tool room lathe out there. Even my South Bend "Heavy" 10 lathe that will do much of what your talking about. Long lathe beds can flex.

[@pauldzim]

Would have to be a pretty small locomotive

[@iancanty9875]

While these are fine for very small turning they’re a big let down on anything over 50mm (2”) diameter when they chatter readily and can only take fine cuts. A much better prospect is a Colchester Chipmaster or Bantam or even a Boxford or small Raglan. Another annoying aspect Of the ML7 is that the bore through the headstock spindle is dead on .625” diameter, so if you try to put a piece of 5/8” dia. silver steel through it won’t go in. I got so annoyed with this I resorted to polishing a few thou out of it until even 16mm (.630”) went through.

[@jessereed8589]

Look.for a summit or leblonde lath in expensive production lathes

[@markrainford1219]

Almost a Boxford. Ahem.

[@millomweb]

I only came across 1 Boxford and it was comparable to the ML7

[@johnmcdyer7297]

Ha ha them ropey things

[@williamhuang5329]

Hanzhen harmonic gear , strain wave reducer , robot gear , over 30 years experience ，

[@petertimefortea3502]

Hi, i have just finished restoring my myford super 7 lathe, it was made in 1973 it looks the same as yours, i did a full strip down and rebuild on my myford, it took about 2 months, it came with a lot of parts as well. Thank you for showing your myford to us, great video. link to my myford www.flickr.com/photos/182081477@N07/ Regards Peter

[@grahambird1570]

The Bed is too narrow - Bought one and didnt make my list of great lathes - Went to Colchester Student !

[@millomweb]

We had an ML7 - and it's last job was cleaning up the leadscrew for the Student that replaced it ! We kept the milling attachment though !

[@eduardomartinellifilho7070]

In Brazil Potuguese is the language

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks, every day is a school day!

[@user-ld7go9et5p]

Men, your audio a little problem

[@darrenphillips6456]

Do you have to stop filming every 5 seconds

[@juliosalcedo175]

No funciona la chatarra mas bla bla blas nunca do vuelta

[@potlimit2002]

Myford Super 7 lathes are over priced piles of junk! I wouldn't trade my USA built Hardinge HLV for 10 Super 7's. Colchester Lathes are way better machines too!

[@allandesoer7672]

The Hardinge HLV is a fantastic m/c, I worked on one years ago when I worked in the Aerospace industry, a very high quality machine. But not cheep. I was taught as an apprentice on a Little John lathe , we had a Myford in the training centre but it never got used, it was to weak. I had a Myford Super 7 for a few years in my hobby workshop but got shut and bought a Warco WM-250, a far better m/c in my opinion, not as good cosmetically finished but accuracy is what mattes not looks and has decent sized spindle bearings . Always wanted a good Boxford but in my younger days could never afford one.

[@necdetsaltek6790]

Excellent, thank you!